Gears of War 2 (Game of the Year Edition) Walkthrough & Strategy Guide

It's become a cliché to say the Gears of War is all about the cover. While you should always have something between you and the oncoming bullets, staying huddled behind a convenient concrete slab all the time won't solve all your problems. In the vertical layouts of many levels, ducking behind obvious cover can still leave you exposed to fire - especially from those players Hammerburst-happy trigger fingers. Cover can often be shipped away a bit to expose more of the unlucky person behind it as well. Obviously, if you take any damage in cover, you should consider moving on. Although it's sounds arbitrary, the best cover is standing behind walls and columns, since you can often leap across the way to safety quickly.

From the Hip

Shooting "from the hip" is geek lingo for "not pulling the left trigger to aim through sites." Its advantages are not immediately obvious with a weapon like the Lancer, which sprays every which way but at your enemy's exposed face when you don't aim. But with the Gnasher, the Hammerburst, and, to some extent the Longshot, the benefits are great. An entire Gnasher cult has evolved due to the futuristic shotgun's close-range damage and instant kill potential. How do you recognize these cultists? By the monkey-like moves they make - constantly rolling around until they score an explosive blast on an unsuspecting, chainsaw-revving dope. And you can be one too!

While it takes some good ol' fashioned practice, and some serious analog trigger finesse, to be able to aim without crosshairs, there are some general rules: like always aiming a bit higher than you think, and shooting while you're turning instead of after you stop. Remember, this works from cover as well, so take aim around a corner and splatter away. In terms of the Longshot, a blindly fired round from the hip, followed by a melee hit, will down a nearby enemy with ease. The Hammerburst can also be effectively shot from the hip, but with all that trigger pulling, it's much more difficult to hit the target. Also: hand cramps.

The Chainsaw Wins

It's true. And it's awesome - unless you are on the receiving end and think you are hardcore, then it's totally n00bsville... or something. Anyway, the Lancer's chainsaw melee will initiate from body length or two away, which is a veritable football field in shooter terms, and short of another Lancer blade to stop it, it will result in gore most gruesome.

Occasionally, your opponent will get the same idea as you and whip out his or her own Lancer. When crossing chainsaws, you'll be prompted to mash A. Whoever hits it the most times wins. Unlike the early days of Gears of War, this animation leaves you vulnerable, so a kill-for-a-kill is often the result of exposing yourself. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try!

Fine Tuning

The default settings on Gears of War 2 are not optimal for multiplayer matches. If you adjust your "Look Sensitivity" to High, you'll be able to simply turn faster. That's good for melee combat, and firing from the hip, but most of all it is good for rounding corners while sprinting. This is how all those people are getting to the Frags before you.

Going for the Goodies

Few people are content to use the default weapons in Gears of War, and that is apparent in the mad dashes that occur at the beginning of each multiplayer game. Once you know the locations of desirable items and have your route all planned out, there are a few things to think about. First of all, everyone knows what you are doing, so that leaves you open to ambushes. Centralized item locations mean you'll likely encounter enemies going for the same item as you.

That means you should have your Lancer equipped and ready to rev, since it's the fastest way to kill someone straight out a sprint. You should also get used to blind-throwing your lone starter Smoke Grenade. Toss one of these between you and someone coming straight at you and you instantly have the upper hand. Finally, leaving a booby trap at the weapon location, a Frag Grenade or at least a Smoke Grenade which you can keep an eye on with your fancy new weapon, should be part of your initial dash.

I Said Booby Trap!

One of the greatest features in Gears of War 2 is its grenade surface-tagging. While Frag Grenades are always deadly when triggered (if there's no obstruction), Ink Grenades aren't quite as deadly unless paired with a Smoke Grenade. The Smoke knocks people down in the Ink long enough to die, voila! Smoke booby traps are useful in their own right, so long as you keep an eye on them and score a melee attack or some good shots on the stunned victim. They are also useful for covering entrances you can't see when you are camping.

One of the best places to slap grenades is right on the ground where you picked them up. They are barely distinguishable from the spawn point; truly evil! Finally, a word of warning: enemy triggered traps of your own design can still harm you. Light fuse and get away!

So Your Opponent is Bleeding Out...

There are a number of ways to kill a downed opponent, and even times when you shouldn't. Execution animations, like curb stomps and beatings, may be showy, but they are also slow and leave you wide open to fire. Often a point-blank Gnasher blast, or continued fire from cover is the smartest option.

And there's always the Meat Shield route. While you are 50% protected with the Meat Shield, you are also 50% vulnerable (from the rear), and 50% slower. Additionally, unless you have a good pistol you'll have a seriously stunted defense capability. A Meat Shield and Actively Reloaded Boltok Pistol are a force to be reckoned with. The Meat Shield is the perfect finisher in a hectic, close encounter, since its quick and protects you immediately.

In some modes, letting people bleed out is strategically advantageous since it will take longer for them to respawn. Check out our Modes section for more on that.

Active Reloads are Niiice

It's simple, really: active reloads make your bullets more powerful. Hit that little notch with the Right Bumper as you reload and you'll have a grace period of a few seconds to use your magic bullets. Some guns, like the Boltok Pistol (which seems to fire faster with an active reload) and even the Gorgon Pistol are astonishingly better with an active reload bonus to their ammo. You'll find that emptying rounds on purpose is a useful strategy, just so you can perform an active reload when in need.

You're Part of a Team, If You Want to Be

If you were the ultimate pack hunter in Gears of War 2, you probably wouldn't be reading this guide. Sure, you can go it alone, but really teamwork is the only thing that will gain you bars next to your gamertag. Even if your team doesn't want to listen you bark orders, you can at least stick nearby in hopes of a revival.

Get in the habit of pressing the Left Bumper to keep track of your team. At the very least, let others know where you are and where enemies are; and if they tell you to shut up then find someone else to play with. You can do better!

Revival of the Fittest

If you're down, but not out, hit the Left Bumper and hustle to the nearest teammate (or Annex / King of the Hill ring) by rapidly tapping A. Who knows, this could be your lucky day! Also, if you are downed and happen to have a grenade in your hand (Frag, preferably) you'll get a prompt to slap that baby on a nearby enemy (with the Right Trigger) for a last-minute surprise.